$19.6 million sought for local projects

U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-Napoleonville) asked for $19.6 million worth of hurricane protection and flood control projects in the Tri-parish area that have passed the House and await Senate approval, said his spokeswoman Robin Winchell.

Funding for the projects is in the 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which was placed earlier in a House-Senate conference committee.

“He specifically requested the funding for these projects from the Appropriations Committee,” Winchell said. “In April he first requested the earmarks.”

Winchell said she is not anticipating any problems for the bill in the Senate.

More than half of the funding-$11 million-will pay for dredging the navigation channel on the Atchafalaya River and bayous Chene, Boeuf and Black if the bill is signed into law.

A release from Melancon’s office said the navigational channel will be dredged between the Gulf of Mexico and the rig-building and oilfield services firms in the Amelia area.

The Larose to Golden Meadow levee system will receive $5.8 million if the bill becomes law.

The Houma Navigation Canal would receive $2.4 million, also for dredging.

The bill has $386,000 to study the proposed Donaldsonville-to-the-Gulf levee system as well.

“Larose to Golden Meadow is a significant amount of funding,” Winchell said. Melancon worked with South Lafourche Levee District Director Windell Curole, she said.

“Melancon’s staff worked closely with local sponsors – levee boards, parish governments – ones interested in the projects, to figure out what the needs are,” she said.

Melancon said he was disappointed no money was in the bill to fund the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection system in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

Winchell said Melancon worked with the Terrebonne Levee Board and the Army Corps of Engineers to get funding.

“He was very aggressive this year working for it,” she said. “But because of the financial crisis there were not any new construction starts in the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Melancon did not accept that as a reason.

“It (Morganza) has been on the drawing boards for several decades,” she added. “People are like sitting ducks. It needs to be made a priority. In the next couple of weeks he will try to figure out the avenue, whatever legislation.”